Furniture store is coming full Circle

Thursday

Circle Furniture’s opens store on Route 53 in Pembroke to replace the company’s smaller Hanover store about four miles up the road.

More than 50 years ago, Robert Tubman opened the first Circle Furniture store in Cambridge as a place for Harvard students to buy used and unfinished furniture for their dorm rooms.

The company is now run by Robert’s sons, Harold and Richard, and Richard’s wife, Peggy Burns. “They like to say it was their day care center,” said Burns, referring to the store where the Tubmans grew up.

Circle Furniture’s latest store at the intersection of routes 53 and 139 in Pembroke is a far cry from those roots. With more than 10,000 square feet spread over two floors, the store is filled with the company’s signature furniture – which is now colorful and finished.

The Pembroke store will replace the company’s smaller Hanover location about four miles up the road. That store will function as a clearance center for the next few months until the lease there runs out.

Circle, whose headquarters are in Acton, purchased the Pembroke building in May. It had been a home for other furniture stores. Circle gutted it, installing large windows to give the space generous natural light. The company’s other stores are located in Cambridge, Danvers, Framingham, and at the headquarters in Acton.

Burns describes Circle’s furniture as not so much contemporary as “transitional,” or somewhere between modern and traditional, with clean lines and fun colors and fabrics. The company’s customers are mainly what she calls “second-time buyers,” who have moved past the unfinished furniture of Circle’s early days and are ready to spend more money on better quality.

Burns said Circle is proud of its efforts to support local craftspeople and the environment. Most of its wooden pieces are made in New England, with wood from forests that are managed according to what the company says are “strict environmental, social and economic standards.” It also sells a collection of bio-based upholstery, including cushions made of soy-based foam.

Even with 65 employees, the company is still very much a family business. On a recent day prior to the store’s soft opening on Jan. 24, the three owners pitched in to wash windows while their dogs – which are usually allowed only in the Acton offices – lounged in the sunlight. The company has six employees in the Pembroke store. “We hope we need a lot more,” Burns said.

Julie Onufrak may be reached at jonufrak@ledger.com.

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